“Th-thank you, Ruanruan…”
Shiori’s breathing suddenly became somewhat rapid. She did not pull up a chair to sit down. Instead, she stood directly behind the e-sports chair, her two slender arms reaching over Su Ruanruan’s petite shoulders, half-encircling the girl in her embrace.
The cold scent of cedar instantly enveloped Su Ruanruan.
Shiori’s hand trembled slightly as she covered Su Ruanruan’s right hand—the one holding the mouse—with extreme care, yet with a strength that brooked no refusal.
That hand was soft and small, covered in a thin layer of sweat from nervousness.
“Ruanruan, don’t be afraid…”
Shiori’s voice was very low. Because she was so close, her warm breath practically brushed against Su Ruanruan’s sensitive earlobe, carrying a hint of morbid obsession and deep reliance. “I will… protect you.”
With her back pressed tightly against Shiori’s soft chest and her ears filled with the other girl’s slightly heavy breathing, Su Ruanruan’s small face instantly turned as red as a ripe tomato. She could even feel Shiori’s heart beating even faster than her own had been moments ago.
‘Th-this is way too close!’
Under Shiori’s “hand-holding” guidance, however, the character on the screen started a new round.
Though Shiori appeared timid and nervous, her movements became terrifyingly sharp once she entered the game. She held Su Ruanruan’s hand, completing a series of tactical maneuvers as fluidly as flowing water.
“Left side, second-floor window. Scope in,” Shiori commanded softly.
Su Ruanruan was so nervous she didn’t dare to breathe, allowing Shiori to lead her hand through the motions.
Bang!
One shot, one kill. A red kill notification popped up on the screen.
“I—I hit him!” Su Ruanruan cried out in excitement, the gloom from being bullied earlier swept away in an instant.
“Mm, Ruanruan is wonderful.”
Shiori’s chin rested lightly near the crook of Su Ruanruan’s neck, her cheeks flushed with an abnormal heat. Her bloodshot, peach-blossom eyes weren’t looking at the screen at all; instead, they were fixed intensely on Su Ruanruan’s fair neck.
‘Ruanruan’s scent… it’s so fragrant…’
‘If only I could keep holding Ruanruan like this… if only Ruanruan could always rely on me and punish me like this…’
“Hey! Saginomiya Shiori!”
Chu Youyu’s exasperated, delicate shout suddenly erupted from the side.
The tsundere Young Lady watched their intimate posture, her jet-black hair practically standing on end. She rushed over fuming and grabbed Shiori’s sleeve, her small face flushed with anger.
“If you’re teaching the game, then just teach the game! Why are you holding her so tight? And your face is almost touching Ruanruan’s neck! You Perverted Obsessive Girl, let go of Ruanruan right now!”
Even as Chu Youyu pulled at her with force, Shiori, who had been interrupted so suddenly, showed no intention of loosening the hand wrapped around Su Ruanruan’s waist.
“I… I was just teaching Ruanruan how to manage Recoil Control…” Shiori lowered her head, her voice tiny. “If Chu feels unhappy… then I’ll just leave…”
“Why are you acting so pitiful? You’re clearly just taking advantage of Ruanruan!”
“Eh? N-no, Youyu,” Su Ruanruan quickly stepped in to play peacemaker. “Shiori was just teaching me how to play. Without her, I definitely would have been at the bottom of the rankings again.”
Hearing Ruanruan speak up for her, Shiori’s lips curled into a microscopic, victorious smile at an angle Chu Youyu couldn’t see.
“I can teach too!”
Chu Youyu grew anxious and squeezed into the other side of the e-sports chair, grabbing Su Ruanruan’s left hand which was resting on the keyboard. “Ruanruan, ignore her! I’ll teach you Positioning! My marksmanship might be average, but I’m great at throwing a Flashbang!”
“Eh?! Youyu, don’t squeeze in! This chair can’t fit three people!”
Pincered from both sides, Su Ruanruan’s left hand was gripped tightly by Chu Youyu while her right was held firmly by Saginomiya Shiori. She felt like a strawberry sandwich cookie being fought over by two dragons, completely unable to move.
“Alright, alright! Stop fighting! You’re about to pull me in two!”
Su Ruanruan broke free from their hands, looking like a defeated woman, and slumped into the e-sports chair like a deflated ball. She stared at the glaring gray results screen, her face written with dejection.
“Ugh… my coordination is just too poor. With this kind of skill—shooting the ceiling and screaming in terror every two seconds—if I really started Livestreaming games, the viewers would definitely roast me to pieces.”
Su Ruanruan clutched the armrests of the chair, her head hanging low. “My grand plan to become self-sufficient and wealthy has died before it even began…”
“Who says you’ll be roasted?”
Chu Youyu crossed her arms and let out a tsundere huff, her dark eyes full of natural confidence. “With a face like yours, Ruanruan, even if you just sat in front of the computer during a Livestream and spaced out, or even if you wailed in tears because you were scared by a monster in a game, there would absolutely be a ton of people rushing to send you gifts!”
“Eh? Really?” Su Ruanruan blinked her reddened eyes.
“Of course!” Chu Youyu leaned in a bit closer and curled her lip, critiquing mercilessly, “You simply don’t understand the people who watch Livestreaming nowadays. Those people are all single girls with no real lives! As long as they see a girl who is as pretty, soft, and easy to bully as Ruanruan, they’ll pounce on you like hungry wolves catching the scent of meat!”